Vehicle Thermal and Energy Management

Complete Solution of the Entire System

See the Vehicle Thermal Management Brochure (PDF)

GT-SUITE has a very strong capability for design and optimization of vehicle thermal
management systems. It has been specifically designed for use by vehicle manufacturers
and heat management component suppliers.

Thermal management is a broad area whose tasks are distributed over a number of vehicle
sub-systems and organizational departments. Traditionally, each sub-system was designed
and optimized with independent analytical tools, which may have varied from department to
department (engine, vehicle, engine cooling, underhood, lubrication). However, to study
vehicle thermal management as a system requires that the models of the various
vehicle subsystems are allowed to fully interact. This is not easily achievable when a
number of separate CAE tools are used, and this has become a roadblock to progress, and
inhibits sharing of relevant data across the various disciplines involved in heat management.

To overcome this problem GT-SUITE offers all of the relevant capabilities needed to carry out
an analysis of vehicle thermal management in a single integrated model.

GT-SUITE uses advanced flow solution methodology based on compressible 1-D CFD
flow that solves for mass, momentum, energy and species (unlike other hydraulics simulation
tools which use approximations such as an electrical analogy). As a result, it obtains more
accurate predictions, especially under transient or unsteady flow conditions. It is very robust
and stable, and handles “standing water” in the piping without difficulty.

 
                            Prediction of coolant temperature in a vehicle at high speeds

 To create a complete vehicle thermal management system model, many parallel fluid
circuits can be modeled simultaneously, each containing a different fluid (coolant, oil,
transmission fluid, air, combustion products, A/C refrigerant, etc.). More detail on the
individual sub-systems may be found in the sheets dealing with “Engine Cooling”,
“Lubrication”, and “Air Conditioning and Heating”. These circuits interact through heat
exchangers or thermal masses, transferring heat from one circuit to another, which allows the
calculation of the overall heat balance in the system.

All of the fluid circuits meet in the underhood cooling module (UHM), containing multiple
heat exchangers and the fan. The CAD-based preprocessor COOL3D automatically meshes
the UHM to produce a 3-D flow model solved by GT-SUITE (see sheet dealing with
“Underhood Cooling Module”). This provides a powerful predictive capability which is
unique in the industry.

                 Prediction of 3-D features of the air flow through a radiator and a fan

GT-SUITE contains all of the specialized models required for vehicle system analysis, including
engine and vehicle models for simulation of any desired driving cycle or schedule. An
included library of electric components is used to model hybrids and all other electric
systems (see sheet dealing with “Hybrids and Electrics”).

For more information contact: (or contact us online)
Gamma Technologies, Inc.  601 Oakmont Lane, Suite 220  Westmont, IL 60559  USA	Tel.  (630) 325-5848  Fax. (630) 325-5849 Email:CAE@gtisoft.com Web:www.gtisoft.com

APPLICATIONS

Engine Performance
Test Pressure Analysis
Exhaust Aftertreatment
Acoustics
SiL, HiL, real-time
Vehicle, driveline
Hybrid Vehicles
Cooling Systems

VTM
Underhood Modules

AC and Rankine
Lubrication and bearings
Fuel Injection
Valvetrain, camshaft
Cranktrain, crankshaft
Chain, gear, belt drive